Correspondence from Aleister Crowley to George MacNie Cowie

7th. Sept 14.

Care Frater.

I think the unfortunate female whose letter I enclose had better be in communication with you rather than with me. I find her psychology very complex, and even abstruse, and moreover she is more in your district.

Thanks for your letter enclosing 20s.0d in stamps. With regard to the poem: I should try the Scotsman and Herald. They can cut down the poem if they like, and they can pay just what they think fit.

With regard to Mr. Nelson, his beliefs are all his own. The Foreign Office write that they are considering very seriously, my proposition of sending a special embassy to the U.S.A. You might mention this in confidence to the editor of any paper whom you saw, or any publisher whom you might interview; to indicate that publication would be decidedly pleasing to the Government.

Now to return to your letter received this morning, and the real object of the O.T.O., By the Ship I mean my play of that name in Equinox 10, but of course it is the Universal Ship. It does not matter since you evidently understand the importance of the present situation. I did not think of telling you about it earlier, as usual I assumed that everybody knew. I do not like to say definitely that the present row is the main catastrophe; I should not even like to go so far as to say that it was the forerunner of the great catastrophe, but from an ordinary practical standpoint one may, without in the least giving way to alarm, make preparations to meet the most serious eventualities. We have often been told, quite truly, that if the banks were to be called upon for ten million in cash, it would spell universal bankruptcy. Now, the actual situation is that cash is being called for by thousands of millions at a time. We have been a bare month at war, apart from the financial question, consider the actual destruction of wealth both in material and productive labour. As you see securities are practically unsaleable, and the unemployment has already become acute. Imagine this continuing for a couple of years, Wait only till the cold weather. What can be expected in every capital of Europe but riot and revolution? This, by the way, is clearly indicated by the figures for September and December quarters in which Saturn is rising, and the rest of the planets seem to have entered a competition to raise trouble for everybody. I did not know until June 1912 the tremendous importance of the knowledge held by the O.T.O., and even when I knew I did not realize it. It has taken me practically two years hard work to assimilate the instruction then received in three short words. I have not even yet done a tithe of what is to be done. The occurrence of the war has caused me to redouble my efforts; to conclude a thoroughly scientific investigation.

We had a great attempt at this in Paris for six weeks [the Paris Working], beginning with Jan 1st. this year, but I was proceeding at somewhat unorthodox lines, anyhow, the record although a highly important document, is only one brick in the Temple. I have been criminally careless about my record of late, but I am now making amends; but I know already a good deal of the importance of this Secret. I think it is not too much to say that if all the accumulations of human knowledge was suddenly destroyed, they could be replaced in a very short time by this means. Unfortunately this Secret is in possession of very few, and it is quite conceivable that all the holders might perish within the next year or two. A part of the instruction of the IXth. degree is in these words: "Trust not a stranger; fail not an heir". In such circumstances my personal role becomes very important indeed, owing to the accident that I have the gift of expression. What has to be done is to see that this knowledge is clearly stated, yet in such a way that the ordinary man will fail to understand it, and at the same time—and this is very difficult—it must be preserved in such a way that the finder shall be convinced of its supreme importance. I have not yet worked out how this is to be done, but I think it is already a step in the right direction to have the plates of steel; this has already been partly carried out. When the copies have been struck off, they might be filled up with some other metal, and then enclosed in something transparent and eternal. I believe it is possible to find glass which does not crumble. This might be then deposited in a vault, rather on the lines of Rosencreutz, with all the available adepts of whatever grade entrusted with the whereabouts of the said vault, and pledged not to interfere with it, but at the same time to indicate it to the world at the proper moment. In order to carry out this or some similar scheme, we do not require a very large sum of money; small sums from time to time would, however, enable illustrious Brother Hammond [Benjamin Charles Hammond] to go on with his part of the work, the engraving, without interruption. I think it is also highly desirable to get part 3 of Book 4 [Magick in Theory and Practice] into the press. The printers will probably want something on account; I think £20 would satisfy them. I think your scheme of the distant relation is admirable, the only trouble being, that he is likely to reply that he has not a penny in the world. You must not be depressed about things, on the contrary this is the exact moment for us to show what we are made of. I did not answer your letter before owing to pressure of other work.

With regard to the immediate prospects of the war, I suggest your trying geomancy.

Many thanks for the 10s.0d enclosed.

Yours fraternally.

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